Blue Iguana Slithers Back from Extinction

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Just a decade ago, the Grand Cayman blue iguana was on the brink
of extinction, with only 10 to 25 individuals left in the wild.
But the reptile has made a major comeback and is no longer listed
as a critically endangered species.

The blue iguana, which is only found on the Caribbean island
Grand Cayman, now has a population of about 750 thanks to a
recovery program. And over the weekend, the International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) updated its listing of the
species from critically endangered to endangered.

An endangered status is probably the best conservationists could
ever hope for as far as the reptile is concerned, said Fred
Burton, director of the
Blue Iguana Recovery Program.

"Human impacts on Grand Cayman are now so extensive that there
just isn't scope for these iguanas to regain numbers in the tens
of thousands," Burton explained in a statement. "However, we are
confident that we will achieve our lon-term goal of restoring at
least 1,000 Grand Cayman blue iguanas to the wild."

The blue iguana is the largest native species on Grand Cayman.
The reptiles often grow to more than 5 feet (1.5 meters) in
length and weighs more than 25 pounds (11 kilograms). They once
ranged over most of the island's coastal areas and interior dry
shrub lands before
habitat destruction, car-related deaths and free-roaming dogs
and cats pushed them toward extinction.

The recovery program involves habitat protection, research,
monitoring and releasing captive-bred iguanas into the wild.